


Strawberries and Cream

by Kid_Cosmos



Series: This is About More Than Popcorn Sales [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Camp Campbell (Camp Camp), F/M, Folklore, Government Conspiracy, Implied Sexual Content, Lake Lilac, Mature rating for profanity, Mild Gore, Mythology - Freeform, Profanity, Were!David, Werewolves, Wildlife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-18 19:13:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20196673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kid_Cosmos/pseuds/Kid_Cosmos
Summary: When a night hike requested by Space Kid goes awry, the campers at Camp Campbell end up with a monstrous situation on their hands.





	1. Orange Slices

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first post to Ao3! I'm excited to share more work so stay posted for more!

Orange light filtered through the cheap, plastic blinds of the Counselor’s Cabin. Two beds sat empty, one made, one not. A wall calendar had a large, red circle around one particular date. A random Thursday, chosen by fate, placed the Earth and it’s umbra in front of a full moon. A total lunar eclipse was going to pass over North America that night and word somehow got to Space Kid. Space Kid begged, and begged, and begged, to watch it that night, for three weeks straight. Gwen, finally having enough, agreed to take the whole camp on a night hike. And David, being David, stepped it up and invested money in to a telescope for viewing the canopy of stars and galaxies above. After all, they both thought they owed it to Space Kid after the Moon Landing incident. 

As the motley group of campers made their way through the forests of Lake Lilac, the blue sky deepened in to indigo, the last traces of pale orange far beyond the horizon. A chorus of clicks echoed as the campers flicked their flashlights on. Several beams of light ran over the jagged branches of pines and firs.  
“I wonder if we’ll see any owls?” Nikki excitedly thought aloud. Max rolled his eyes.  
“Gee, I don’t know Nikki, it’s not like we don’t hear them every night in this hellhole or something.” Max snapped back. David craned his neck over his shoulder and smiled at the disgruntled ten year old.  
“Aw, come on Max! Sure we hear them, but we almost never see them! We have lots of owls here like-“  
“I didn’t fucking ask, I’m just saying.” Max promptly interrupts, jamming his hands in to his pockets. “Besides, we’re going to watch the eclipse, not go on a stupid nature hike.”  
“It’s a blood moon, I have a bad feeling about this.” Nerris mutters, their grip their homemade staff tightened as they clutched it against their chest.  
“Uh, Nerris, I don’t think it’s the superstition that’s making you nervous.” Gwen interjected, gesturing to a chain link fence. A black sign with white border had bold, red lettering on it. Neil stepped forward, hand on his chin.  
“Private property, do not trespass. Violators will be shot?” Neil read aloud.  
“Did you read the fine print?” Max mutters. Neil leans in closer, pointing his flashlight directly at the miniscule print.  
“In accordance of Campbell Corporation. Hey David, what was Cameron doing with this land here?” Neil asked, seriously questioning the billionaires motives, again.  
“Well, back when he won the camp he also bought a portion of the land adjacent to the camp as a trophy hunting ground, oh.” David realized, raised index finger slowly curling in on itself in defeat. Max instantly saw an opportunity.  
“Wow, what kind of Camp Counselor’s take a bunch of kids to a hunting ground, at night, in the middle of fucking nowhere? Especially next to a dank-ass town that looks like it’s been suspended in the 1880’s and all we have are flashlights. That’s just spells trouble David.”  
Gwen steps in front of David. “Actually, the grounds were decommissioned years ago, something about illegal experimentation or sasquatch or something.” She tiredly looks over her shoulder to assure David, David smiles small in return.  
“Hey! We’re wasting moonlight!” Space Kid announces, practically foaming at the mouth. With that, the group presses on. 

After walking along the fence a while, a gate allowed access to the reserve, the rusted lock snapped apart. Deciding not to question it, the group moved on. Darkness had closed its jaws on to the forests of Lake Lilac, only the pale, full moon and billions of stars above provided points of light. Following a trail on a dusty old map David found, the ground began to incline. Soon enough exhausted breaths were leaving the mouths of the campers. As they reached the peak of the hill, their effort was worth their while as they could see everything from up there. The few lights of Sleepy Peak were to the south. Lake Lilac reflected the night sky above, Spooky Island looking as ominous as ever. They could make out Camp Campbell, the dreary encampment of the Wood Scout’s, and the specks of light at the Flower Scout’s glamorous camp.  
“Oh wow, what a view!” Nikki breathed looking out towards the expanse.  
“Yeah, this is pretty cool.” Ered agreed.  
“I have to hand it to you David, this is actually a great view.” Gwen thought.  
“Thanks,” David muttered as he struggled to get the tripod assembled. “I told you…we have nothing…to worry about!” The tripod finally extended. Carefully, he set it to the ground. Wiping some sweat off his brow, he pivots towards Space Kid. “Space Kid, would you like to do the honors?”  
Space Kid’s eyes widen, pupils nearly eclipsing his irises. Nodding furiously, he swipes the telescope from David, carefully locking in to place on the tripod. Looking over his shoulder, David gives him a thumbs up. As he leans towards the eye piece, a pathetic clink sent him reeling. Shaking his head, he tries again, only be met with another clink.  
“We’re going to miss the fucking eclipse by the time he figures that shit out.” Max groans.  
“Well, look at it this way, somehow this is a dark sky zone, so we can see a lot without the use of a telescope.” Neil shrugged. The sound of a Styrofoam cup filling with liquid caught their ears. Gwen held a steaming cup out towards Max, a chocolatey aroma filled the air around Gwen. Max, looking up at Gwen, then back to the cup, quickly swiped it from her grasp. Amazed he actually took it without a snide comment, Gwen smiled. Even though Max was a little shit, he’d been coming around little by little since Parent’s Day. She and David both agreed he’d been making a lot of progress. 

After the last camper got their cocoa, they all sat and watched the moon turn a desaturated orange, the shadow slowly creeping from right to left. Neil and Space Kid took turns at the telescope, noting which star systems and constellations they could see. Preston was jotting something down on a small notepad, mumbling something about a perfect scene setting. Ered was leaning against a small tree, arms crossed behind her head, taking in the sights. Harrison and Nerris were bickering about the “magical properties” a blood moon could have. Dolph, Nurf, Nikki, and Max were leaned back on the hill, simply taking sips of their hot chocolate. Though Max would never admit it aloud, he enjoyed the simplicity and peace of the moment.  
“The time is upon us!” Nerris cried, sending a collective jolt of surprise through the group.  
“Aw man, you made me spill my cocoa.” Nikki sighed.  
“Nerris, for the last time I’m telling you, the blood moon isn’t a bad omen!” Harrison rebutted.  
“Ssssshhhhh! Look!” Space Kid interjected, finger pointing straight up at the now blood-orange moon. Nerris and Harrison promptly looked away from each other with a huff.  
Neil’s eye went over the details of the hundreds of craters through the telescope. The other campers ooo’d and awww’d as the eclipse held strong about two minutes. As the dulled orange surface began to fade back in to the ashy-white, the campers were barely able to stay awake. David and Gwen began ushering them back down the trail they’d climbed hours before, Nerris on Gwen’s back. The elf had worked themselves in to exhaustion, promptly falling asleep. David and Gwen both let out a sigh of relief as they exited the hunting grounds. The night had managed to go off without a hitch. They’d made it about halfway to Camp Campbell when a slap made the party turn around.  
“Gah, darn it!” David remarked. “I left the telescope on the hill! I’m going to go get it.”  
“You sure you should be going up alone? That was a pretty long way out there.” Gwen thought.  
“I’ll be fine! I know that map as if it were on the back of my hand!”  
“Didn’t you find it like, this morning?” Max butted in. David’s left eye twitched as his smile widened.  
“Good call Max! You should come with me!”  
“God damn it.” Max sighed. 

Max wasn’t normally unnerved, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.  
“Don’t fall too far behind Max!” David called. Max rolled his eyes before quickening his pace to catch up with David. His eyes searched the dark expanse before them, recalling familiar landmarks. The pine that was seemingly split apart by a giant axe. A colony of phallic-shaped mushrooms growing on a fallen tree. A rock with the southern side completely covered in purple, spongy moss. Then the chain link fence came in to view.  
“See! I told you we would make it!” David excitedly remarked. “Now, wait right here, I’ll be right back with the telescope.” Max didn’t argue as David pivoted on his heel, heading up the trail to retrieve their forgotten item. Max couldn’t believe it. The scenario they were in followed every last horror movie ever. His hand gripped the plastic casing of his pocket knife in his front pocket. He wasn’t gonna take a chance, not after Daniel nearly offed him last time he ended up alone. He wish he’d taken the Glock he’d found in an unlocked box under a bush near the Mess Hall. A moment became a minute, minute to five, five to ten. Max’s heart entered his throat, the silence sent his hair on end. Then a feminine scream pierced the airwaves. Silence washed over the forest once again. Ten became fifteen, fifteen to twenty, then forty. Crunching caught his ears from behind him. Whipping around, his flashlight beam passed over a darkened figure, his lanky form familiar. It was David. He was paler than usual, dripping with sweat. His yellow bandana was nowhere to be seen as his shirt collar and sleeve were shredded, blood soaking in to the fabric. His right hand covered his mangled shoulder. And without warning, he collapsed.


	2. Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a brief hospital visit, David is already up and at 'em which has Gwen more than a little curious. Her curiosity, however, gives her more than she bargained for.

Rhythmic beeping was to David’s immediate right. Slowly cracking his eyes open, his vision cleared. Plain ceiling tiles were above him, dead flies littered the inside of the fluorescent light cover above him. He was in a bland hospital room. The smell of cleaning solution and stale, musty air invaded his nose. Carefully lolling his head to his right, Gwen was hunched over the side of the bed. Her head rested in her folded arms as her back rose and fell as she slept. In her grip, a bloodied yellow shirt. David inhaled, relieved he was alive. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall what happened. Blank yellow eyes and claws flashed in to his mind. Squeezing his eyes tighter, he recalled a stocky figure, it was on two legs. A bear! Yes, a bear! He groaned as he realized he’d left his bear spray under his bed before the hike. Opening his eyes again, Gwen was still sound asleep. Smiling small, he carefully interlaced his fingers with hers, she stirred at the slight disturbance, but continued to remain asleep.   
“You really do care, don’t you?” And as her grip remained in his, he fell back in to unconsciousness. 

The next day, the doctor came in, a bit shocked at the amount of people in the room. Every camper, including Gwen, crammed in to the tiny hospital room. Max was leaning against the wall within earshot in the hall.   
“Uh, yes, ahem.” The doctor cleared his throat before continuing. “David, while the bite was deep, it didn’t break anything in your shoulder or clavicle. It will, however, take some time for the tendons and skin to heal back up. We took some blood samples to make sure the animal that bit you doesn’t have rabies or radiation poisoning. With no strenuous activity for a couple weeks, you should be as good as new.”   
David lifted his arm which was secured in a plain, navy sling. “Sure.” He acknowledged sad. The light from his eyes were gone, the doctor clearly taking note.   
“Right, when you return to Camp Campbell, take some time to rest. Take it easy for a few days. Netflix and chill or whatever it is you kids say these days.” The doctor sighed, placing a clipboard in to a caddy by the door. The second the doctor left, the campers swarmed the bed, all wanting to know what happened.   
“Guys, guys, give him some space. He needs his rest, we’ll see him later today. Go find Quarter Master and have him take you back to camp since he’s been banned from being within 500 yards of here.” Gwen urged. With a collective groan, the campers shuffled away from the bed, filing through the door. Nerris quickly looked over her shoulder, then followed the others. Max watched them leave.   
“Max, that means you too.” She sighed. Max shut his eyes momentarily, then trailed behind the motley crew of campers. Gwen watched as they made their way towards the elevator. When it was just her, she entered the room, quietly closing the door behind her.   
“I told you, you shouldn’t have gone up alone. What in the actual fuck happened? I can’t believe I’m saying this but you had me worried. You had us all worried.” Her tired eyes were pink in the corners, splotches of purple underneath.   
David refused to meet her eyes. “I know.”   
They sat in silence for a few moments, then Gwen fished around her pockets for something, pulling a yellow object from her pocket.   
“Here, I cleaned it up for you, though it’s still ripped.” She unfolded the faded yellow camp shirt before handing it to David. He smiled small at the sight of it.   
“Thanks Gwen.”

Back at the camp the kids were scrambling around the Mess Hall, setting up streamers and balloons. After three days of David in the hospital, they decided to throw a “get well soon” party for him. When the squeal of the ancient station wagon sounded outside, they all gathered around the door.   
“Surprise!” they all cheered, Nerris and Space Kid setting off party poppers. David winced at the cacophony, but smiled nonetheless.   
“Aw, thanks you guys.” His eyes went to the banner that said “Welcome Back David” above the crossed out “Ascension Ceremony”. His ears continued ringing, vision danced as his head throbbed. “You guys enjoy, I’m going to go lay down.” He conceited, backing out of the door way. No one moved, no one even breathed. A party horn promptly clattered the dusty floor from Nikki’s mouth. 

That night Gwen was woken up by screaming. David was thrashing around in his bed. Stripping her sheets off she paced over and shook his shoulders.   
“David! David! It’s a nightmare, wake up!” she called, his shirt was damp from how profusely he was sweating. As he calmed down, arm falling back to his side, she felt his head. He was burning up. Deciding to let him rest, she worriedly crawled back in to bed. 

The next morning, the smell of bacon invited Gwen’s consciousness forward. Blinking awake, panic rose in to her throat as she threw her blankets off. Sitting up, the bed across from hers was empty. Even more unusual, unmade. Throwing on her woolen socks and hiking boots, she paced to the Mess Hall still in her pajamas. Throwing the wooden doors open, she couldn’t believe it. David was back to his usual self, flipping a pancake in a pan. The campers excitedly battled over a bowl of steaming scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh berries. Dolph and Nurf had the last pancake on the plate between them, both arguing it was theirs. David laughed.   
“Now, now guys, there’s more coming!” he announced. Both boys turned towards David. Distracted, Max sunk his fork in to the pancake, pulling it off the plate before either could react. Nurf noticed, Dolph now on Max as well.   
“Hey! Vait your turn!” Dolph argued. Looking him in the eyes, Max lifted the breakfast item just below his mouth, then opened up, tongue falling out. Dipping his head, he licked a long stripe on the pancake, the corner of his mouth curled at the sight of their disgusted faces.   
“Glad to see everything’s back to normal.” Gwen sighed, leaning against the wall next to the galley window.   
“Yup!” David smiled, flipping another pancake, the stack already nine high. Gwen observed his movements. They seemed normal, but something was missing.   
“Hey David,”  
“Yeah?”  
“Where’s your sling?” she asked. David stopped moving.   
“Oh, uh, I didn’t need it anymore.” he quickly got out, eyes falling back on to the pan, smile quickly fading.  
“What?” His eyes wouldn’t meet hers as he bit his lower lip, sweat began to bead on his forehead. “David, why?” His eyes looked passed her towards the kids. He quickly flipped the pan over the plate, adding a tenth to the stack.   
“I don’t need it. The stitches, they fell out, not to mention I can move my arm just fine.” Gwen’s heart plummeted to her stomach.   
“What do you mean?” she sighed, David pushed the galley door open with his plate of pancakes. She watched as he placed the plate down, Dolph and Nurf barely giving him any time before they forked the piping hot pancakes on to their plates. David hurried back to Gwen pulling her in with him, out of view of the kids. Max, now curious, swung his legs over the bench, and followed the pair.   
“You weren’t kidding about the stitches. There’s barely any scaring.” Gwen thought, gently running her fingers over the raised row of closed up punctures. “What do you think it means?”  
David pulled his sleeve back on. “I’m not sure. I don’t think I was bitten by a bear anymore.” Gwen’s eyes widened.   
“You don’t think-“  
“Oh hell no! No! There’s no fucking way he’s a werewolf!” Max burst in, jamming a finger at David. In a panic, Gwen grabbed the boy, pulling him inside the kitchen.   
“Max, please keep this on the DL, we don’t know for sure. Maybe the punctures weren’t as deep as we thought.” Gwen begged. Max looked at her, then over to David.   
“Fine, but until I see some proof, David is just annoying-ass David, no werewolves.” Max shot before retreating to the table of confused campers.   
Both Gwen and David sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for some juicy, angst filled splendor.


	3. Ginger snapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David's condition begins to rear its ugly head.

Camp operations went on as usual. A week after David’s incident, things were pretty much back to normal, well, as normal as things could get at Camp Campbell. Today’s agenda called for knot tying, something Gwen decided to introduce last minute. Nikki, Nurf, and Max were pros, knowing Max it probably wasn’t an innocent proficiency, the same for Nurf. Space Kid’s fingers got caught up in his mess of climbing rope, prompting a visit to Quarter Master. Neil’s kept coming undone. Every time Harrison completed a knot, it would turn in to a dove and fly off. Ered and Nerris ended up making a chain of knots. Gwen paced by each camper, inspecting the strength and tightness. Max was suspicious.  
“Really? Knots Gwen? Does this have to do with David’s “condition” or something?” Gwen pressed her index finger to her lips.  
“I told you, keep it quiet.” She murmured looking up. None of the other campers were paying any mind to them, their heads were still dipped as they continued focusing. Her tired purple eyes fell on Max. “It might, you know, just in case.” Her head craned over Max’s mess of hair, across the clearing. David was splitting logs for firewood. She swallowed as she watched. Normally, she or QM would have to chop wood simply because David lacked the arm strength. He was never able to clear the first third of the depth. Now, he was splitting them clean, his efforts rhythmic. The clatter of wood meeting wood was a consistent sound as he worked. Worse, last she checked, she had told Quarter Master that rusty,old axe was dull. It hadn’t been sharpened yet.  
“Gwen? You okay?” Max tugged on her sleeve.  
Her gaze didn’t move. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

At lunch time, the campers ate in small groups outside. The trio of Max, Nikki, and Neil sat together as usual, enjoying the bounty of Max’s potato chip ration.  
“Man, I can’t believe they haven’t confiscated these yet.” Nikki stated, shoving another handful of BBQ flavored chips in her mouth.  
“I’m not. Those two have been distracted by something since breakfast last week.” Neil thought, watching David set up the next activity for art camp.  
“It’s probably because they think David’s a werewolf.” Max absent mindedly chewed. Upon realizing what he just said, his eyes widened. Nikki and Neil both were staring at him, mouths agape in midchew. “Shit.”  
“I’m sorry, they think he’s a what now?” Neil hissed. Nikki was laughing hysterically, limbs flailing as she rolled around in the dirt.  
“David, a werewolf. Come on Max, I know you’re a kidder but that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Nikki wiped a tear from her eye.  
“I’m serious. I’ve seen enough horror flicks to know. Something is definitely not right.” Max thought, eyes narrowing on the red head. His companions also looked over at the 20-something-year-old. A deer was in the meadow not far from the Mess Hall, and David clearly noticed. He didn’t move, his gaze was obviously on the buck. “I wonder.” Max thought. Getting up, he went in to their tent, then reemerged with the pet rock he made from last week. Tossing it up and catching it, he hurled it towards David. David, without even budging, raised his arm behind him, catching the painted stone before it made contact with his head. The sudden movement startled the deer, it pranced away. David’s shoulders dropped. Turning on his heel, he headed towards the trio.  
“Max, that wasn’t very nice. That could have hit me!”  
“Yeah but it didn’t because you caught it with some pretty bizarre reflexes!” Max quickly got out. David’s expression dropped as his eyes widened. Absently giving a side eye, he looked back to the kids, handing Max his rock back.  
“Uh, sure, whatever you say Max.” David muttered before quickly walking away. They watched him enter the Mess Hall. Gwen had also been watching his retreat. She looked back to Max and gang with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head as shenanigans had obviously ensued. 

As things wound down for the evening, the campers were free to do what they wanted outside of arson or aggravated assault. It was peaceful until a nasally voice cut through the silence.  
“Well, if it isn’t the Campbell Crappers.” Pikeman scoffed. No one looked up from what they were doing. Pikeman stomped his foot on the ground. “Ugh! I will not be ignored. Petrol!” Petrol, curling his fingers in to each other, placed them on his lips and whistled, the whistle carrying through the expanse, sending flocks of birds away. David slammed the Mess Hall door open.  
“What in the world was that-oh, Pikeman’s back, again.” He sighed. Pikeman’s face contorted in to a sneer.  
“Yes, we’re back. And we will take this camp and your campers. And this time, we have a challenge we’re sure to win.” Pikeman snapped his fingers, a sense of dread washed over the Campbell Campers. A shadow crept up from behind the Wood Scouts, a large figure emerging. The ground practically shook with each step. The camper that came up behind Pikeman and his cronies could barely be considered human. Probably standing at six-foot, five-inches, the blonde haired camper loomed over his compatriots. His sash and uniform barely able to contain the thick muscle lining his arms and chest, his midriff exposed. He grinned a stained, toothy smile at David.  
“We would like make a wager. If we win, we get Camp Campbell and all of its campers, if you win, you can have all of our popcorn sales, plus interest, if, you can beat Sebastian here in a classic test of strength, an arm wrestle!” Pikeman proposed.  
Gwen rolled her eyes. “What’s the interest?”  
“Our camp utility vehicle.” Snake muttered, narrowing his eye.  
“Deal.” Quarter Master agreed, scaring Gwen half to death as he appeared out of nowhere. She then glared at him as this was one challenge they’d surely lose.  
“Great, then who’s brave enough to take on our brute?” Pikeman grinned.  
“Um, Ed, we’ve talked about this. That name.” Sebastian muttered, tapping his extended index fingers together, as if nervous. Pikeman’s smirk dropped.  
“Anyway, who’s it gonna be?” The Troop Leader sighed.  
“I’ll do it!” David announced. The Campbell Campers all gasped.  
“Well, there goes our camp. I’m going to pack my things.” Gwen sighed. 

Anticipation hung heavy over Camp Campbell as David and Sebastian stared each other down. Pikeman could barely contain his glee.  
“Alright competitors, on your mark, get set, break his arm Sebastian!” he screamed. Sebastian grinned wildly, assuming he was going to be victorious, but his efforts were met with resistance. Looking at their interlocked hands, he looked back at David who almost looked bored.  
“What! I’ve seen this guy throw four-hundred pound tires like soft balls, how are you standing up to him?” Pikeman gasped. Petrol and Snake were equally as speechless. David’s expression went hard.  
“You know Pikeman, I’m getting really tired of you always waltzing to the in, trying to take our camp. My campers are not a prize to be won, so,” he paused, tilting his forearm in, forcing Sebastian’s towards the table top. “Get the fuck out of my campsite.” And like that, he forced the back of Sebastian’s hand in to the table top, small cracks forming upon impact. Sebastian yelped, pulling his hand away and running back towards their camp site, tears streaming down his now blotchy, red face. Pikeman was simply too terrified to argue, Snake and Petrol simply following behind. David wiped his hand on his shorts. Turning around, he was met with petrified faces, jaws to the floor.  
“What?” he asked nervous. No one said a thing. “Guys, what’s wrong?”  
“Y-you, you beat that guy like it was nothing! That’s what!” Neil burst out.  
David blinked, then smiled. “Nah! The muscles on that kid were simply cosmetic, nothing more. He seemed like a sensitive kid, highly doubt he meant any harm.”  
“Are you fucking kidding me! Stop writing it off, there’s clearly something wrong with you!” Max hissed. All heads turned to him.  
“We’ve talked about this Max.” Gwen spat through clenched teeth.  
“No! I don’t care anymore! David, that obviously wasn’t a bear! Let’s face it, it was a werewolf, we can’t deny that anymore! Hell, I refused to believe at first but now I’m more than convinced!”  
David simply stared at Max. Dipping his head, he shook it. “Nope, it was a bear. Werewolves aren’t real.”  
“Have we already forgotten about Graggle?” Ered shuddered.  
“And I have magic, so werewolves could be feasible.” Harrison shrugged.  
“And that guy on Spooky Island can go through doors and walls!” Space Kid added, though not a soul knew who he was referring to. Out of nowhere the camp exploded in to debate, shouting and counterpoints thrown from camper to camper. David’s head snapped back and forth. It was incredibly loud, like they were in his head shouting. Squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears, he tried to drown out the cacophony of argument, then something snapped.  
“Shut, up! I’m not a werewolf! End of discussion!” he roared, quite literally. Several pairs of eyes fell on him. All wide with fright. Even Max was taken back.  
“David,” Gwen began.  
“Don’t Gwen, just, don’t.” he sighed, shoulders drooping. Turning around, he made his way back to the Counselor’s Cabin. _____________________________________________________________________________________

As another week passed on, he didn’t get any better, if anything, he got worse. Gwen would suddenly awake in the middle of the night to find him missing. He acted like everything was fine, but it clearly wasn’t. His patience could no longer be tried like it used to, even though his fuse was still a mile longer than average. He became a little more aloof. Sleepy Peak residents had been complaining about missing pets. Gwen had noticed more than the campers. Whatever he was doing on his nightly escapades was having physical effects on him. He was a little more toned. His appetite grew. He had to shave twice daily, eventually he got tired of the hassle and kept a light beard. But overall, he was still the same old David. He still cried like a baby whenever Nurf shanked him. His puppy like enthusiasm remained. He still pestered Max and was as happy-go-lucky as ever. Gwen finally had enough of his facade, asking what the deal was.  
“I just want to know what’s up. I know we all have our demons but yours is clearly clawing its way out. We only have another week until the next full moon. Still think everything’s okay?”  
David sighed. “No, it’s not.” Pulling up his lip, his canine teeth had extended. Upon closer inspection, flecks of gold had worked their way in to his emerald green eyes. “Gwen, I’m terrified. I’m terrified of hurting the kids, of hurting you. If you want to know, I’ve been going out to purge my aggression, my frustrations. I’m just exhausted from constantly trying to not lash out.” Gwen gently pressed her thumb against his tooth, then cupped his stubbly cheek. He looked so sullen, so defeated.  
“I’m gonna be honest, I’m scared too. But I don’t think you’re going to hurt anyone, it’s just not you. No matter what you are.” David’s head fell in to her hand, hot tears rolling off his face and on to her palm. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”

The next day, David took the campers on a nature hike. The overcast skies prompted a quick outdoor retreat as the forecast called for rain.  
“Let’s try and make the best of the weather!” he called back. The campers groaned as they followed along, asking about a colony of mushrooms growing nearby. Max was over it. How could a dork like David become a lumber hunk in less than two weeks without being a mythical beast? It was weird hearing the girls fawn over him. Even the Flower Scouts swooned. As they went to make a left at a fork, David suddenly stopped, extending his arm, preventing any campers from going further.  
“Hold up. We got bears.” He whispered. He wasn’t kidding. Roars could be heard from further up the path. “Let’s go the other way.” He decided, the campers following his lead.  
“How did he do that?” Neil whispered.  
“Wereeeewoooolf.” Nikki sung.  
“Or he just heard them before us.” Max snapped, dragging a stick behind him. They continued up the trail. The forest grew darker, less bird calls echoed. The trees seem to stretch miles above them as less light filtered through the canopy.  
“Uh-uh, are we lost?” Nerris panicked.  
“Nah, we just haven’t gone this way yet.” David happily replied, practically skipping along. Like a light at the end of the tunnel, a beautiful meadow came in to view. A large field of bluebells, lavender, poppies, and dandelions surrounded a large boulder. “See! I knew we were close!” Screaming cut his moment of triumph short. Whipping around not one, but two bears were in the space between the forest and the clearing. With swift movements David placed himself in between the campers and the bears.  
“Remember your wilderness survival training. All of you back up real slow, make yourselves unassuming.” David whispered. Unfortunately, the bears wandering Lake Lilac were a little too aggressive, perhaps the radiation poisoning the Doctor alluded too. One charged, aiming right at Nikki. Ready to hit the deck, she was about to dive, until David grabbled the animal. They seemed equally matched, both parties quivering, trying to overcome the resistance of the other. Then the second bear charged, David’s heart racing a million miles now. In a fair amount of effort, David managed to bring the bear down, slamming it in to the ground. Quickly kneeling down, he punched out the flailing animal, knocking it unconscious, its tongue lolled out. Whipping around, he charged at the next one. His campers watched in horror as the fight went on. The shadows of the fighters dancing in the serene afternoon sun. David’s eyes became blank as he bared his fangs at the bear, his nails lengthened in to claws. Giving his opponent a good swipe from its left eye down to its muzzle, it backed off. The other bear still out cold. Breathing heavy, David turned around, fangs glistening in the afternoon sun, eyes still rolled back. None of them budged for they were unsure of what might happen.  
“Are…you guys…okay?” he continued panting. He was met with several furious nods. Closing his eyes, he evened out his breathing, claws falling to the ground, bloodied and bruised. Opening his eyes, they were green and bright as usual. “Good.”

The next day it poured rain. Nikki sat in front of the window, forehead pressed against the cool glass. Columns of rain streaked down the surface, merging in to larger drops as they continued their descent. Dolph, Neil, Space Kid, and Nerris were coloring with crayons. Harrison and Max were in their third round of Garbage. Nurf and Ered simply watched the other two play. Gwen was on her phone. Nikki sighed, turning around and slumping against the wall.  
“Gwen, whatcha doing?” she asks interested.  
“I’m looking to see if we can cure David.” Gwen states deadpan. The campers stop their movement and look up at their counselor.  
“Is it even possible?” Neil quietly asks, eyes down on his piece of copy paper. It was of a grey wolf tearing through a person, the legs in a bloody mess on the ground.  
Gwen stopped scrolling, eyes darting around. “I’m not sure. I miss the old David though.” The camper’s heads all dipped in agreement. The sound of rain hitting the roof ate at the silence. Max raised a brow. He’d seen Gwen’s bookshelf before, and in a strange twist of irony, the mood was too gloomy, even for him.  
“So, speaking of knots,“ Max began. “Nope! Not going there!” Gwen promptly cut him off, face beet red. Max smirked, the other campers snickered or chuckled. Mission accomplished.  
“Uh, what does he mean by that?” Nikki asks, head cocked in curiosity. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at each other, then back to her.  
“Um, its best that you don’t know. Honestly, I wish I didn’t.” Ered smiled coy. Ered’s attention snapped towards the direction of the pantry along with everyone else in the lodge. Pained cries and glass breaking was muffled through the walls.  
“Another fit.” Neil sighed. No one would have wished that on their worst enemies. David didn’t deserve what had happened, they all knew that. Sure he was kind of annoying, probably had undiagnosed ADHD, clearly harbors some secrets, maybe even a few frustrations, and needs to know boundaries better, but he was still their counselor. A really shitty one, but he did keep them sheltered, safe, and fed. And in the weeks they’d been together, their mixed bag was becoming more like a family. A nuclear one at best, but they’d all grown on each other. David’s suffering was their suffering, and they’d do their best to be there for him, much like he’s there for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next two chapters are a little longer, but the grand finale is next!


	4. It's Gonna be Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited full moon has arrived. What will become of the happy-go-lucky counselor?

As the days crept towards the full moon, David had more and more fits. He ended up shutting himself in the bunker two days before the full moon and apparently hadn’t been out since. Gwen instructed Nurf to be in charge, and he was ready with his Gwen wig and all. She and Quarter Master made their way to the bunker, fresh water, food rations, and clean clothes in tow. Gwen hesitantly raised a fist to knock, but the door slowly creaked open. David was on the opposite corner of the room, curled into himself as tightly as he could muster.  
“Hey David, we brought you some things.” She soothed. David stiffened at her words. Sighing, she closed the door. “QM, I’ll take it from here.” Quarter Master was unphased, but handed her a small canister. It was off-brand bear spray.  
“He ain’t no bear, but should keep y’from getting mauled.” He mumbled before promptly leaving her alone. Looking at the can, she pocketed it and reentered the shelter. She kept her approach quiet and slow. Reaching a hand out, she hesitated to make contact, but David’s clawed hand took hers in to his and rested it on his shoulder. She could feel him shuddering. Kneeling down, she hugged him from behind. His quivering grew more intense as he sniffed. With a quickness that took her by surprise, he turned around and buried his blotchy face in to her shoulder. She simply embraced him, holding him tight. Together, they sat on the dusty bunker floor. David’s arms around Gwen, Gwen running her hand through his hair.

Finally, the day arrived. Gwen had Nurf, Nikki, and Max secure David to a chair using their knot tying skills. She had to say, their handywork was thorough. His legs were bound to the legs of the chair. His arms behind him, wrists bound and secured to the slats in the back of the chair. David was already out of breath and sweating profusely. Gwen shooed the campers away, telling them to sleep in the Mess Hall attic to be safe. She and Quarter Master stayed behind, Quarter Master had his rifle extension locked and loaded. Shutting the iron door, it was simply a waiting game.  
Anticipation hung heavy in the stale shelter air. The full moon shone brightly overhead. Out of nowhere, David’s screaming filled the room next door. Gwen went to undo the lock, but Quarter Master grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. She sank back in to her seat. It was impossible to sit there and do nothing as David transformed. But then an eerie silence intervened. Assuming the worst, she looked at Quarter Master who gave a nod. Slowly, the opened the door to the darkened room, but the shallow claw marks David left were apparent in the minimal light.  
“Get out.” He breathed heavy. He was hunched forward, hand on the wall, head hanging low. The chair had toppled over, rope ends frayed. His shirt seemed to barely be clinging to his form as his swollen back muscles and pronounced shoulder blades had ripped right through. His bare feet were distended, calve muscles more defined. “Please.” He quietly ordered. Gwen was frozen, unsure of what to do. “Gwen, please!” he struggled, head slightly turned to look over his shoulder. He was giving her a side eye, glowing eyes reflecting back in hers. “Gwen-gah!” he cried. A wet crack sent Gwen’s hand to her mouth. David’s arms lengthened, the muscle swelling, becoming more defined. Tearing had Gwen’s terrified gaze to his shorts, a bulge appeared at the base of his spine. He lost balance as his feet shifted further, big toes pulling upward as they lengthened, becoming dew claws. The soles of his feet had swelled, blue and black blotching his pale skin. Nails became talons. His shorts finally gave way to the rich muscle he’d developed, tail starting to become coated in red fur. His vertebrae extended, his voice deepening as they pushed against his stretched skin. He looked over his shoulder once again, green eyes pupil-less and glowing.  
“GO!” he roared before throwing his head back. Gwen continued watching as his neck lengthened, ears pushing forwards and upwards. Saliva hung in strands between his fangs and crowded mouth. His shoulders bulged as he continued to grow. His nose and upper jaw began fusing together as red fur travelled down his spine. Bringing padded and clawed hands to his jaw, he coughed and strained as his mouth continued to mutate, lengthening in to a deadly muzzle. As the rest of his fur came in, he finally stopped transforming. No one in the room moved. Only David’s heavy breathing could be heard. Gwen couldn’t stop shaking.  
“D-David?” she stuttered through chattering teeth. The wolf stiffened, ears flattening. Standing up to his full height, he was huge, nearly eight feet tall. Growling vibrated the airwaves as he slowly turned around, running a clawed hand along the wall.  
“Close the damn door!” QM demanded. David snapped his muzzle and snarled at them, continuing his approach. “Dammit! Close it!” he panicked. Gwen, finally snapping out of it, closed it before were-David could lunge at them. Growling, snarling, scraping, and banging sounded from the other side. Both parties slid down the door to the ground. He continued his assault to escape for what felt like hours, then it got quiet. Gwen looked up, it was still dark, the moon was a sliver from the angle she was sitting at. Getting up, she unlocked the door. Quarter Master readied his shot a few feet away. She carefully opened the door, revealing the scene inside. David was on all fours, claws digging in to the cement below.  
“Easy David, it’s me, Gwen. You know me.” She cooed, slowly advancing towards him. He got up, growling again. Gwen’s grip on the bear spray tightened. Averting her gaze and closing her eyes, he slowly raised a hand towards him. He backed up. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” David stopped growling, sniffing Gwen’s outstretched hand. She could feel the heat of his breaths as he scented her. Cracking an eye, he pressed a cold, wet nose in to her hand. Slowly, she took his massive head in to her hands. “See, you’re okay.” The wolf’s head fell in to her hand, eyes closing.  
“G-Gwen.” He struggled.  
“Good, yes, Gwen.”  
His glowing eyes opened up a little. “Love Gwen.”  
Gwen smiled small. “Gwen loves you too. Come on.”  
Taking his huge hand in to hers, she lead him outside. Quarter Master disengaged the rifle. “Damn kids are gon kill me one day.” He sighed.

David continued following Gwen. His eyes stopped glowing, some more clarity entering them. He raised his other hand, mulling over the length of his claws. Gwen looked over her shoulder as he did so. “Can you hang tight a moment.” He quietly asked. Gwen stopped, amazed he gained clarity so quick and effortlessly.  
“Yeah?” she asked concerned.  
“What if…what if I come unhinged? What if I hurt someone? I don’t think I should be out here, not yet.”  
“Hey, come on, you seem fine to me now. Besides, you said you loved me, I think you’re fine now.” As she said that, David’s ears flattened, his eyes going wide. She chuckled. “You look like a puffball, what’s wrong?”  
“I said I loved you?”  
“Yeah? And?”  
David relaxed a little. “Wait, you’re not bothered by that, grossed out? Are, are you reciprocating those feelings?”  
Gwen blushed a little, David could hear her heart skip a beat. “Maybe.” She quickly muttered, pacing ahead. David blinked. As Gwen hurried away, she stopped dead in her tracks at the most incredible thing she’d ever heard. David had thrown his head back, howling a long, throaty note. If a wolf could smile, there was a big one on David’s big goofy face as he expressed his glee. Quarter Master jabbed him in the side.  
“Shut yer yap, it’s too early in the morning for this shit.” He groaned. David stopped howling and looked towards the Eastern horizon, sure enough, dawn was barely peeking through the dark.  
“We gotta introduce you!”

“Wake up! Up and at ‘em! Come on! There’s someone I’d like you guys to meet!” Gwen announced. Max’s eyes snapped open, he groaned, pulling his sleeping bag over his head.  
“Wh-what? Did you find a hunky vampire now too?” Neil yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
Gwen shook her head. “No, someone better.” Nikki looked at Neil and shrugged, following her down the stairs. Then Neil followed, then Harrison, Nerris, Ered, and Space Kid. Nurf shoved Preston down, Dolph after Nurf. Then finally Max, who half hoped David got shot after being mistaken for a bear. When he went outside, yawning wide, his face dropped, same as everyone else’s. Before them, a bipedal wolf stood before them, awkwardly rubbing the back of its neck.  
“Uh, roar?” David teased. They remained frozen. Until Nikki’s eyes lit up.  
“Holy shit dude! You’re awesome!” she cheered, tackling him. Seeing it was okay, Nurf grappled one of his legs, finally knocking the beast over. Nikki scratched his belly and chest, prompting his tail to wag and his leg to swim. Ered and Neil both observed his massive hands, Dolph behind Gwen.  
“Are you shitting me? You scared us for a week just to be like a big dog?” Max snapped.  
“Hey he tried to kill us earlier!” Gwen protested.  
“To be fair, why are you in so much control?” Neil asked, now hovering over David’s muzzle. David’s eyes blinked a moment, then searched around.  
“I’m, not really sure what’s up with that.” He thought.  
“Aw, maybe it was true love!” Nurf mocked, pursing his lips and fluttering his eyes.  
Gwen blushed. “You could be on to something there. Aren’t there legends about wolves changing back after their lover says their name or throws their clothes at them or something?” Everyone looked around. Max’s eyes widened.  
“So you are totally going to try to take the,” Gwen slapped Max in the back of the head.  
“I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again, do not go there.” She murmured. Max glared at her, rubbing his head.

Hours later, after the sun had risen, David was human once again. He and Gwen ate cereal and toast with their campers, enjoying the rowdiness around them.  
“Seriously though, what brought you back? I was sure you were going to kill me.” Gwen quietly asked.  
David smiled small. “Not in a million years. Besides, someone told me that everything was going to be okay.” Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead. They both smiled at each other. “Get a fucking room.” Max interjected. Their smiles immediately dropped in annoyance, the campers erupting in to laughter.

* * *

“Sir, we found failed subject 990-089.” An agent clad in a black suit relayed, nudging the body of a giant, black wolf. A tranquilizer dart was nestled in to its neck.  
“Good, bring it in, we still have a lot of data to sort through, including a potential saliva-borne pathogen produced by the experiment. We need to find who was bitten and bring them in. This could be the potential breakthrough we needed.” The agent hung up his phone. A group of heavily armed soldiers loaded the beast in to a crate, the crate on a loading dock leading to a helicopter. One of the agents slid the door shut and locked it for takeoff, the seal on the side of the helicopter was that of the Wood Scout’s organization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You made it! I hope you enjoyed, I had a lot of fun writing it. I'm currently sitting on the next part so stay tuned. Feel free to leave feedback, but please be constructive! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note, Nerris is nonbinary in this. I also am not totally caught up on CC yet (I know about Graggle from another fic) so sorry it it diverges from canon a little. This was an all night write with some editing here and there so apologies if it seems a little choppy. It will probably be updated in the future as I had an alternate ending in mind, either way lemme know what you think!


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